2023 New Mexico Girls State Tournament Quarterfinals Review
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Tuesday March 7th, 2023 was the start of the Girls New Mexico State Quarterfinals round across New Mexico after the conclusion of the first round this past weekend. Most games were played at “UNM The Pit” in the metro area…
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Continue ReadingTuesday March 7th, 2023 was the start of the Girls New Mexico State Quarterfinals round across New Mexico after the conclusion of the first round this past weekend. Most games were played at “UNM The Pit” in the metro area consisting of the 5A and 4A Classes. “Rio Rancho Events Center” hosted the Quarterfinals for the 3A and 2A Classes. Lastly, Bernalillo High School hosted the Quarterfinals for the 1A Class. Throughout Tuesday, there was some great performances across the Quarterfinals Round, here’s a recap in case you missed anything:
4A #4 Hope Christian vs #5 Artesia at 8:00am at “The Pit”
The Hope Christian Huskies led for the entire game. They dominated inside the paint and on the boards. They were led by their star duo; Kathleen Obisike Kathleen Obisike 5'11" | C Hope Christian | 2023 State NM and Alyssa Vigil Alyssa Vigil 5'8" | SF Hope Christian | 2023 State NM . Kathleen Obisike Kathleen Obisike 5'11" | C Hope Christian | 2023 State NM came close to a triple double with 17 points, 14 rebounds and 9 blocked shots. Alyssa Vigil Alyssa Vigil 5'8" | SF Hope Christian | 2023 State NM also scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Charlotte Bitsoih was the difference maker as she scored 13 points, dished 7 assists and went 9/10 from the free throw line as Hope Christian defeated Artesia 62-48.
5A #4 Carlsbad vs #5 La Cueva at 9:45am at “The Pit”
In a low scoring defensive game, the La Cueva Bears upset Carlsbad 44-26. It is the second straight season the La Cueva Bears have reached the 5A State Semifinals round. It was balanced scoring by their trio of guards; Alexis Ayers Alexis Ayers 5'5" | CG La Cueva | 2023 State NM , Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM and Jordyn Dyer who scored 10 points each while Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds.
4A #3 St. Pius X vs #6 Los Alamos at 11:30am at “The Pit”
Another low scoring 4A Quarterfinals matchup came down to the last couple of possessions in the game. Marisol Valdez was the hero this past afternoon with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the St. Pius 40-36 victory over Los Alamos.
5A #3 Volcano Vista vs #6 Centennial at 1:15pm at “The Pit”
The defending back-to-back 5A State Champion Volcano Vista Hawks were tested late in the second half by the Centennial Hawks. Volcano Vista led for the majority of the game despite Centennial going on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter. They were led by Aspen Salazar Aspen Salazar 5'9" | SF Centennial | 2023 State NM who led the team in scoring and rebounding with 16 points & 10 rebounds. Taejhuan Hill Taejhuan Hill 5'11" | C Volcano Vista | 2024 State NM was just too much for Centennial with a monster double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds. Volcano Vista advances to another 5A State Semifinals appearance.
4A #2 Gallup vs #10 Valencia at 3:00pm at “The Pit”
The Gallup Bengals had the most convincing win throughout the afternoon blowing out the Valencia Jaguars 60-37. They had three players in double figures; Rylie Whitehair Rylie Whitehair 6'2" | C Gallup | 2025 State NM had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, Daliyah Morris Daliyah Morris 5'7" | SF Gallup | 2023 State NM added another 13 points and Kiera Livingston provided 10 points. Gallup will face St. Pius X next in the 4A Semifinals.
5A #1 Hobbs vs #8 Sandia at 4:45pm at “The Pit”
The most intriguing matchup of the Quarterfinals Round lived up to the hype. After leading 26-17 at halftime, it looked like the Hobbs Eagles were going to run away with it. The Sandia Matadors stormed back and started the second half on a 14-3 run to come within two at the end of the third quarter. They secured their first lead in the 4th quarter at 40-39 with 4:18 left but fell short in the end 51-43. Sydney Benally Sydney Benally 5'9" | PG Sandia | 2025 State NM led all scorers with 21 points and 6 steals while the hero of the game was from Nakia Mojica Nakia Mojica 5'6" | CG Hobbs | 2025 State NM from Hobbs. She led the team in scoring with 19 and made 5 three-pointers through the late afternoon.
4A #1 Kirtland Central vs #8 Bloomfield at 6:30pm at “The Pit”
The Kirtland Central Broncos led for all but 29 seconds of the game. They got off to a hot start in the first quarter leading 23-6 and didn’t look back. The team’s biggest lead of the game reached 42 points late in the fourth quarter. They were led by Aaryanna Lansing who scored 15 points and had 6 steals. Teammate Jaylene Harris-Rhea was the team’s second leading scorer with 14 points on an efficient 6/7 shooting from the field.
5A #2 Farmington vs #7 Las Cruces at 8:15pm at “The Pit”
The final game of the night was definitely the main event of the Quarterfinals Round at “The Pit” Tuesday night. Both Farmington and Las Cruces proved to be evenly matched throughout the back-and-forth game. Neither team could gain separation throughout the night. Farmington felt in control for most of the game, but Las Cruces was within distance thanks to Lila Ashida Lila Ashida 5'8" | SG Las Cruces | 2023 State NM and Emma Christiano Emma Christiano 5'4" | PG Las Cruces | 2023 State NM . Lila Ashida Lila Ashida 5'8" | SG Las Cruces | 2023 State NM scored a game high 28 points and made the biggest play of this year’s tournament so far, making a game tying three-pointer in regulation to force overtime. Emma Christiano Emma Christiano 5'4" | PG Las Cruces | 2023 State NM was just as impactful with her all-around game and leadership. She totaled 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Those two and the rest of the Bulldawgs sent a statement to the remaining 5A teams left in this tournament by knocking off the #2 seed.